Old world style in one of the Okanagan's youngest cities
If you’re looking for some old-world charm in one of the Okanagan’s youngest cities, Jason Parkes has just the thing.
The owner of Truck 59’s latest project, Crown and Thieves Winery, opened in the Gellatly Bay neighbourhood this weekend, not far from where the West Kelowna wine trail comes to an end.
“Crown and Thieves is going to be a really weird winery that looks really old,” Parkes said in a video of the project while it was under construction.
Everything from a cannon to a candle chandelier was discussed in that phase, and now that it’s running, the thought that went into those design discussions are plain to see while partaking in a wine tasting.
What you can’t do there, just yet, however, is hold events or sit down for a full glass of vino.
Just days before it opened West Kelowna city councillors deferred decision on offering its endorsement to allow for the building to be used in a manner similar to other wineries in West Kelowna, such as offering food service, serving glasses of wine, etc.
Mayor and council showed some enthusiasm for the project, but it was tempered by concerns about sufficient road and pedestrian access and parking.
Currently, accessing the property is via Angus Drive and Harding Road, which isn’t “perfect” access, given the condition of the roads.
While that’s sorted out, there is plenty to look at within.
The winery features include what appears to be a 35-foot-tall remains of a wall built in the 1600s, a 1,200-sq.ft. tasting room, rooftop deck, and a basement to be used as a future speakeasy.
All the fixtures are faux old world, and if push comes to shove Parkes could probably give good tall tale about how they got there. Better yet, he may be able to offer some actual insight into what inspired him.
"I used to spend my evenings after a long day sipping whiskey and dreaming about what a Crown & Thieves winery would look like, and how I would pull it off if I was given the opportunity," he wrote on the website.
"It was something that I never thought would happen though, but just in case I would scribble ideas on napkins, scrap pieces of paper, or whatever it was that I could find. Brodie and I talked about it a lot over the years, he’d throw some crazy ideas my way and I’d tell him more of my own. It was all for fun; a kind of pressure release valve for all the headaches that come with responsibility and being a grown-up, which I guess I am now."
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